Cutting or Just Shifting

President Obama asked Congress to cut $17 billion from the budget on Thursday. He wants to eliminate 121 federal programs. Many of these cuts have already were already rejected by Obama's allies in Congress, including many programs that Bush, repeatedly tried to end. These cuts amount to about ½ percent of his total budget.
Republicans as well as some others have denounced these proposed reductions as too small. In an attempt to answer criticism that his cuts were but a drop in a bucket, Obama said: "Some of the cuts we're putting forward today are more painful than others. Some are larger than others. In fact a few of the programs we eliminate will produce less than a million dollars in savings. Outside of Washington, that's still a lot of money."

Instead of devoting the savings to help reduce the federal deficits, he is funneling them back into other programs.They are far exceeded by a 2 1/2-inch thick volume detailing Obama's generous increases for many other domestic programs. Despite the administrations efforts to portray itself as tough on waste and spending, the adminstration and the Congress is taking the nation on a course of higher budgets. Even as Obama spoke today, a House panel was adding $9 billion to his war request. Is this cutting - Sounds like it is just shift the money around to me.

There is not real savings being realized here. He is just funneling the saved money into other pet projects and programs of his allies. Many of the cuts he is proposing will be hard to get through congress, they involve programs in large states with lots of backing within Congress. The Gas and oil industry will fight to protect their $26 billion in tax breaks, they have too many people in their pockets (or is supporters more politically correct) on Capital Hill. If they do manage to get this through, who do you think will suffer for it – Us the American Public – in the form of higher gas and oil prices. By the way, did you notice that gas prices have been climbing again. In my area they went up .25 cents a gallon over the past 10 days.

None of these pet programs in congress will be cut unless we the American Public retrain ourselves when voting. We have to stop voting along party lines and start voting for the most honest and best candidate available. Vote for someone who shares all your views and who does not take tons of money from all the special interest groups and corporations. Again just my opinion – My Explosion of Thought!.